Gilbert Arenas explains why comparing Embiid and O'Neal makes no sense: "Four MFs were guarding Shaq"
Joel Embiid is coming off a monster stretch in December, where he averaged 40 points and 12 rebounds per game. The Philadelphia 76ers' big man leads the league in scoring and ranks Top 10 in blocks and rebounds.
Embiid's ongoing run has prompted comparisons with Los Angeles Lakers great Shaquille O'Neal, who is considered the most dominant force to ever play the game of basketball. But for former Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas, the dominance that "JoJo" is displaying this season is entirely different from what Shaq was doing.
"Embiid, he's probably tasted a double at some point," Arenas said. "But four MFs were guarding Shaquille O'Neal. That's the only difference here. There was four MFs guarding Shaq, trying to stop him, versus the one-on-one matchups.
Impact of different eras
People give Embiid a lot of credit for his high scoring efficiency — 53.5% from the field, 36.0% from three, and 88.2% from the free throw line. However, Gil urges everyone to put those numbers into perspective.
"I don't think this generation understands that back when they first put the zone and stuff in, we was getting double-teamed for real 'coz then we didn't have; there wasn't all shooters where you can't guard," Arenas added.
"A.I. went through double teams, and Kobe went through quadruple teams. So when you talk about his percentage was 42, yes, 42 on four people. It wasn't 56% on one person. It was 42% of four human beings. That's the difference," he concluded.
"Agent Zero" added that the zone defense was put in place to prevent Shaq from dominating. His podcast guest, Baron Davis, even chimed in to say that aside from changing the rules, O'Neal also changed the way teams drafted players because they needed to adjust to his unmatched size and strength.
Earlier this year, while explaining why "Diesel" was the most dominant player ever, Richard Jefferson said teams used to have "two or three big guys just to foul him." Embiid, for all his dominance, doesn't impact how front offices construct their rosters.
PG said that Embiid is today's Shaq
Gil's reaction came after Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George said that the reigning NBA MVP is this generation's version of Shaq.
"I'm sure how teams had to match up with Shaq; there's nobody we can put on Shaq. Bro, there's nobody you can put on Joel. Like he's going to punish. If you gonna put a big on him, he's going to go around him. Like if you put a small on him, he's going to punish him. Like he plays the big spot, how big it is supposed to be played," George said.
"The Process" has been unstoppable this season, but his dominance is incomparable to O'Neal's because they did not face the same defensive coverage and played in different eras.
That said, we've seen Embiid have great regular seasons only to crumble in the playoffs. The same can't be said about Shaq, who, in his prime, had one of the greatest postseason runs in NBA history.
So, until Joel replicates his dominance when it matters the most, the comparisons between the two are pointless.
